


everyone gets a second chance

by towokuwusatsuwu



Category: HiGH&LOW: the Story of S.W.O.R.D. (TV)
Genre: Dog Fighting, Dogs, Established Relationship, Everything's Better With Puppies, M/M, Mentioned only but it's there, Multi, Polyamory
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-22
Updated: 2018-07-22
Packaged: 2019-06-14 14:18:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,056
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15390597
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/towokuwusatsuwu/pseuds/towokuwusatsuwu
Summary: the mighty warriors and prison gang have decided it's time for them to adopt a dog, and jesse ends up in charge of the choice. he finds a pitbull that reminds him a little bit of himself in more ways than one.





	everyone gets a second chance

The animal shelter feels like a prison.

Jesse knows this is illogical. The animals here no doubt receive better care than Jesse ever received during his time at both Rasen and Sun Kings and none of them have to fight to attain the dominance needed to keep the space safe for themselves. But nothing can shake how cages make Jesse feel, how his skin itches at the sight. Bernie must notice, too; his hand steals into Jesse’s, fingers slipping into the space’s between Jesse’s own, holding onto him so tight it makes Jesse wonder if this place makes Bernie half as nervous as it makes him.

“What kind of dog are you looking for?” The attendant asks them, coming to a stop in the hallway. Cages line either side of it, dogs of all shapes and sizes peering out at them. In the distance, Jesse can hear one of them barking.

Bernie is quick to answer, taking the stress off of Jesse, something Jesse is grateful for. “No breed in particular. We thought we’d just look around and see if we saw one we liked.”

“You’re free to.” The attendant waves an arm in the general direction of the cages and Jesse squeezes Bernie’s hand tighter. “Let us know up front if you want to meet any of the dogs.”

As soon as the attendant leaves them alone, Bernie turns, pulling Jesse into his arms, hands soothing up and down his back. “I’m sorry,” he murmurs, nuzzling under Jesse’s jaw. “I didn’t know this place was going to have such an effect on you. Do you wanna go home?”

Jesse tries to scoff at the question. “Nah, Bern, no worries. We came here to get a dog and I’m not leaving without one. Ryu went through the trouble of paying ahead and everything.”

In their city, money talks. The process of adopting a dog can be a long one, too much waiting and building inspections and phone conversations. Ryu cut the red tape for them, paying off the shelter to make sure they walk out with any dog they like with the sworn promise that whoever they bring home, they take care of. And Ice has been talking about getting a dog for so long now, long before Jesse was ever arrested, but he’d held back on it because they had nowhere to go and nowhere to call home, nowhere to bring an animal into.

Things have changed. Jesse is home, they have the Funk Jungle, and Bernie’s keen insistent on getting a dog now won out over everyone else’s hesitation. For once, Jesse had been in full agreement; he’d taken care of a few stray dogs before meeting Ice and the love and companionship that came with taking care of an animal appealed to him in a way nothing else really has. The thought of being able to duplicate that feeling even a little, and with a dog that will stay with them and be theirs, is too enticing to pass up on.

It’s why he isn’t going to go home empty-handed even if this place does make him uneasy. “You want a little yappy loud one? Be a lot like you if we managed to find one.”

“Asshole.” Bernie pecks him on the lips; he’s smiling even though he tries for a scowl. “Let’s just look around. I’ve not been to this shelter before so I don’t know what all they have. And if you need anything from me, anything at all, don’t hesitate to ask. I mean it.”

“I’m gonna be fine.” Jesse is touched, deep inside where he will never admit it, that Bernie wants to look out for him. “Just help me pick out a dog, okay?”

Bernie’s hands are on his face so suddenly that Jesse jumps a little though Bernie’s touch is soft, lingers on his skin, fingers tracing the shape of his face. “I mean it,” he says, his voice soft yet serious. “If you need to step out, we will. You got that?”

“I got that.” Jesse leans in to kiss Bernie on the nose, smirking at the adorable way Bernie scrunches up his face in reaction. “Now, let’s find ourselves a dog.”

To Jesse, all dogs would be great choices but he knows they have to pick a breed that would be suitable for their lives, for having so many people in and out, an animal more than willing to take on a ton of affection and love. Between Bernie, Pearl, and Brown alone, Jesse is certain this dog will be smothered with affection. They have so many different personalities between Mighty Warriors and Prison Gang that Jesse just wants to be sure everyone is happy, that everyone can bond with the dog one way or another.

Selfishly, he wants to see Pho with a dog when he’s already so good with little kids. He wants to see if Nakamon can keep up his hard expression when there’s a loving animal in front of him. He wants to see Ryu’s composure destroyed by a dog climbing into his lap and licking his face.

It only takes ten minutes for Jesse’s heart to be stolen away; he barely gets halfway through the hall before he finds himself sliding down to his knees, fingers curled loosely in the chainlink front of the pen. The blue pitbull peers up at Jesse with dark gray eyes, standing halfway between the wall and the chainlink, head lowered just a little like he’s waiting for Jesse to do something. His damp nose twitches a few times and Jesse can hear the audible sound of snuffling, paws creeping forward until his nose touches Jesse’s fingers.

All pitbulls are beautiful; Jesse loves the breed, their size and shape, their tendency to be a little slow but to be fiercely loyal to those they see as their family. He can relate, after all. The breed isn’t what attracts his attention, though. The pit’s fur is so light that Jesse can see the rifts in it all too well, the lines of scar tissue breaking up the dove gray. There is nothing even to them, rough and jagged, and it makes Jesse’s stomach hurt to see this. Someone has mistreated this animal and he wants to do something, anything.

“Hey, there.” Jesse glances up at the nameplate attached to the chainlink. “Taro? That’s your name, isn’t it? Who’s a good boy? You look like life’s been bad to you.”

Taro’s tail wags at the sound of Jesse’s voice; he crowds closer to the door, nosing at Jesse’s fingers in earnest. Up this close, it’s impossible to ignore that beyond the muscular figure of the dog, Taro’s paws are still oversized for his breed. He’s still just a pup, then, not full grown.

Someone had let a baby get this hurt in such a short period of time. Jesse is livid.

“Found one?” Bernie drops down next to him on the floor in a squat, making kissy noises. “What a cute puppy, Jesse. What do you think caused all those scars?”

“Fighting.” The attendant startles them both; Jesse’s nerves are already frayed and he squeezes the chainlink so hard it hurts his fingers. “Sorry, was just coming to check on you. Taro here used to be a fighter. Not by choice, mind you. He’s a sweet baby, wouldn’t hurt a fly, but when you beat and starve a dog, they gotta do what they gotta do.”

“A fighting dog.” The thought makes Jesse ill; dogs are naturally gentle and loving creatures, and only poor care and treatment leads them to become violent. The results are plain to see; the scars on Taro’s body show through his fur easily. “That’s fucking disgusting.”

Bernie makes a displeased noise. “Savages make dogs fight,” he says, and Jesse hums in agreement. “Well, Jess, you wanna meet him? Seems like he’s right up your alley.”

“Oh, uh. Yeah, sure.” Jesse shuffles away from the pen, though he doesn’t want to even if it means the attendant comes to let Taro out of his pen.

The back yard of the shelter is where people meet their prospective pets; Jesse drops down on the rickety picnic table and waits, watching as the attendant lets Taro off of his leash. He spends a good few minutes sniffing around the yard before he makes eye contact with Jesse; Jesse might be imagining things, but he thinks Taro’s ears prick up, his tail wagging happily. Then he trots right up to Jesse without hesitation, nosing into the hand Jesse offers him.

“He  _ likes _ you,” Bernie singsongs, patting Taro on the head. “What a cute sweet puppy. He’s just a big baby, awww. Do you wanna take him home? I can tell you totally want to.”

The attendant watching them clears his throat. “Would be in his best interest if you did want to, for what it’s worth. Placing a former fighter in a home is near impossible. Once people hear where those scars came from, they aren’t interested anymore.”

“Bastards.” Jesse runs his hand down Taro’s back, over one of the uglier scars. “You’re not mean, are you? People just don’t want to get to know you. That’s not fair.”

Taro snuffles up at him and flops his head down on Jesse’s thigh, all pitiful big baby eyes that make Jesse’s heart melt. Bernie coos softly and scoots closer so he can rub behind Taro’s ears; Jesse doesn’t have to ask if Bernie wants to take him home. He can just tell.

“He makes me think of you.” Bernie keeps his voice pitched low, though he leans in, bumping his shoulder against Jesse’s. “He’s a fighter, too. I bet we can give him a good home. Ice would really appreciate picking out someone who didn’t have a chance otherwise.”

Jesse is quiet, rubbing his hand up and down the side of Taro’s face, never breaking contact with those puppy eyes. “Yeah,” he finally says, but his voice sounds thick and his throat is tight. “Yeah, yeah, I agree. Ice is gonna fucking  _ love _ him.”

The attendant perks up. “So that’s a yes?”

“It’s a big yes.” Bernie bounces up, claps his hands together. “We’re taking him home.”

Jesse sits on the ground while Bernie fills out the necessary paperwork at the table; Ryu’s money assured there would be no wait period, so all they have to do is file the paperwork and leave. Taro paws at Jesse’s leg gently before just climbing into his lap, and really he’s just a little too big to be a proper lap dog, too muscular, but Jesse wraps his arms around him just the same, rests his cheek against Taro’s side. He can feel a scar beneath his cheek.

“You’re so cute.” Bernie’s hand lights on Jesse’s shoulder, delicate. “Come on, baby, let’s go ahead and take him home now. The others will be dying to meet him.”

They have a leash and collar; Ice made sure they had something in case they brought a dog home today and Jesse pulls out his phone to text the others, sending Nakamon out for dog food and a few other necessities when he responds first, reliable as always. Jesse makes a mental note to pile on his lap the moment he gets a chance to thank him, then kneels in front of Taro and lets him have a sniff of the collar and leash before properly fitting them on him. Part of Jesse is worried that he might scare now but he just leans against Jesse trustingly.

“You just really wanna leave here, huh?” Jesse kisses him on the forehead, laughing when Taro licks up his cheek. “Yeah, I get it. I didn’t like being caged up all the time, either.”

When he stands, holding the leash in one hand, Bernie is staring at him with such a fond and soft expression that Jesse squirms. “You ready to go? Brown’s blowing up my phone.”

The thought makes Jesse smile. “Yeah,” he says, patting Taro on the head. “ _ We’re _ ready.”

Though Jesse was sitting the passenger seat on the way here, he sits in the back now and makes sure Bernie rolls down the window for Taro. The pit seems less interested in the air and instead lays down across the seats, fitting a good portion of his upper body into Jesse’s lap and arms in the process, nuzzling his head into the crook of Jesse’s elbow. It feels  _ good, _ so natural to have a dog this close to him and Jesse feels blessed that Taro chose him, that he trusted Jesse enough to come out of his pen, that he’s trusting him now.

Bernie turns around to look at them at a red light. “All good?” he asks, his eyes dancing.

Jesse nods, grinning when Taro’s tail wags. He’s already learning the sound of Bernie’s voice, then. “Absolutely,” he confirms.

Everyone is lulling around the club when they come inside, Taro walking close to Jesse’s leg, stopping to sniff around the parking lot and the doorway before walking inside. The sight of Nakamon’s car in the parking lot feels Jesse with an odd warmth; he’d gone and come back before Jesse and Bernie had a chance to return, no doubt utilizing the ferocity that aids him so well in a fight to make sure he was here to meet the new dog with everyone else. It’s more than a little endearing when Jesse thinks about it.

“Oh my God.” Ice’s voice is the first thing Jesse hears; he slips off of the little dais around one of the support beams, a favorite hang-out when it’s not club hours. Without his sunglasses on, there’s nothing to hide the delighted expression on his face. “Oh my  _ fucking _ God.”

Brown makes a delighted little noise, muffling it against his palm the best he can. “ _ Baby. _ ”

“This is Taro. He’s had a hard life just like the rest of us.” Jesse kneels down and unclips the leash from Taro’s collar, running a soothing hand down his back when the pit crowds in closer to him, snuffles against Jesse’s neck. “It’s okay, buddy. Everyone here is a friend.”

For just a moment, Jesse thinks he sees Ryu smile. “My money was well spent, then.”

“Ryu-san always takes such good care of all of us.” Bernie bounces across the room, kisses Ryu on the cheek and throws his arms around his shoulders. “You’re so good to us.”

Jesse stays knelt on the floor until Taro finally decides to slowly cross the floor, nose to the ground as he no doubt tries to make sense of the variety of strange scents in the space. He ends up walking right up to Pho and Jesse’s breath catches in his throat as he watches Pho crouch down, offering just one hand that Taro happily noses into without a second thought. No hesitation, no fear; he must know how gentle Pho is, how he can trust him, how Pho would never hurt anyone and certainly not a harmless puppy.

“What are these scars?” Pho asks, expression serious when he meets Jesse’s eyes.

“He was a fighter,” Jesse says softly, and he can hear the sharp intakes of breath, the gasps, Pearl’s little wounded noise. “He wasn’t gonna get adopted otherwise, y’know.”

Diddy’s expression is so pained that Dixie moves in, wrapping her arms around him. “That’s not fucking fair, man. People making dogs fight of all things.”

“He’s not gonna have to fight anymore.” Pho sits down on the floor and slowly, one by one, the others follow suit.

Jesse moves to sit by Pho when Taro moves on, not wanting the pup to feel crowded, tucking himself up under Pho’s arm as he watches Taro move from person to person. Pearl and Brown are all too happy to end up covered in wet dog kisses, both of them laughing and mopping their cheeks dry with the sleeves of their shirts. Akune and Miou let Taro wander between them; he snuffles in Akune’s ear, making him laugh, and gives Miou a proper kiss. Nakamon’s face softens the moment Taro comes up to him, tail wagging curiously; Mocai croons and kisses Taro right on the nose, giggling when Taro kisses him back. It’s such a good sight it warms Jesse all the way through and he sighs softly.

As he’d hoped, Taro licks Ryu’s face immediately and Ryu makes a noise, dragging his sleeve over his face. Ice goes all in, rubbing Taro down on both sides while Taro licks his face, laughing all the while. It’s a beautiful sight and it feels Jesse with a strange sort of hope. Their home might be ragtag, after all, but it  _ is _ a home, somewhere where anyone with a horrible past and some scars to carry can find a place to rest, a place to belong, a place to be loved.

“You would bring home a fighting dog,” Pho muses.

Jesse glances up at him. “Bern said he reminded him of me.”

“Yeah. He ain’t wrong, you know. Pushed into a life he wasn’t ready for, had to deal with that, figure out where to go from there. Now he’s got all of us to take care of him.” Pho dips his head down to kiss Jesse, stealing the breath from his lungs in the process. “We got him just like we got you, y’know. Ain’t alone in this anymore.”

“You big sap. But I know. It means a lot. Thought that if he’s not gonna have a chance anywhere else, his best bet is us. ‘Sides, I love pitbulls. They’re so cute.” Jesse grins, and Pho kisses him again, their teeth knocking together just a little. It’s fine, just the same.

Taro comes to lay against Jesse’s side when he’s finished his introductions with everyone, head resting on Jesse’s thigh. He doesn’t ask for anything, doesn’t nose Jesse for pets, just seems content to be close and Jesse rubs behind his ears just the same, crooning down to him that he’s a good boy, that they’re going to take good care of him now. When the thump of his tail on the floor echoes through the building, Jesse’s heart beats in time.

He feels free here. Maybe, just maybe, Taro can feel free here, too.


End file.
